ALOK PRASANNA writes from Hyderabad: Skimming the papers on a pleasant Sankranthi day, one finds the news columns filled with talk of the formation of a second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC). Apparently, everyone and his aunt has an opinion on the issue. With Hyderabad being the epicentre of the Telangana debate, one can safely assume that the dust won’t settle anytime soon.

With the apparent justification for separate statehood for Vidarbha and Telangana being the backwardness of these regions in otherwise developed States (aside from the obvious attempt by the Congress to garner a few more votes in this year’s Assembly elections), I thought of a third region that meets these very parameters, is in fact in the same general geographical area, and pretty much shares the same history as both: North Karnataka.

Or, more precisely, the regions often referred to as Bombay-Karnatak and Hyderabad-Karnatak.

Let’s make one thing clear first. The first SRC in 1956 got it right. States on linguistic basis were required because it was necessary to stave off Hindi nationalism. All those people who talk of the rift it caused in the national polity, blah-blah, can go see what is happening in Sri Lanka for a crash course on attempts to impose one’s language on the rest of the population.

Now, a very sensible demand is being made to separate States, originally drawn up on linguistic lines, on the basis of underdevelopment, and though this is being said in the context of Vidharbha, Telengana Bundelkhand and so on, I believe North Karnataka must also be discussed in the same vein.

In fact, North Karnataka has as strong a claim to separate statehood as Telangana or Vidharbha.

The facts speak for themselves. In an otherwise moderately developed State, the districts of North Karnataka severely lag behind those of South and Coastal Karnataka. Be it education, health, infrastructure, the economy, or drought, the picture is unchanging and grim. The State government has itself recognised this many times, but like an incompetent doctor, prescribes the same medicine again and again, knowing that it has little effect on the disease.

The reasons for this backwardness are two-fold—neglect and more neglect.

In other words, historical neglect (it was the backwater of the Bombay Province and the Nizam’s Hyderabad), and continuing neglect by successive State Governments. Endless crocodile-tear-shedding and “packages” (which are to bureaucrats and MLAs what an elephant’s carcass is to a pack of hyenas) have not helped, nor even the fact that many CMs of Karnataka have come from there.

That is because development doesn’t come in “packages”.

Development requires a set of leaders dedicated to the cause of their respective constituencies and not to petty power politics in a far-away Capital. That is why the Constitution also puts a burden of governance on the State Government, and does not treat them as mere appendages of the Central Government.

North Karnataka’s problem has been a “governance deficit” that has led to this current situation. A smaller, more manageable State will help to tackle such a problem hands-on unlike a State the size of Karnataka which is itself bigger than half the countries in the world.

Of course, I write this with full anticipation of abuse from the language chauvinists (who, I presume, will take a quick break from the Railway recruitment matter to shoot off a couple of outraged responses to this). I would expect their argument will be that Karnataka is for Kannadigas/Kannadathis, as envisaged by the SRC, and by separating it, one is affecting the unity and identity of Kannadigas/Kannadathis everywhere. I would also expect individual politicians will be blamed with the fond hope that the next lot will announce bigger packages and make the problem go away.

What rot!

Let’s get this straight: Kannada existed and flourished before Karnataka came into being. Though the creation of Karnataka at that time in our history was necessary, it is by no means the be-all and end-all of our aspirations. Staking out our identity as a linguistic group was important then, but 60 years later, when the descendants of Hindi nationalists themselves have abandoned that idiocy (and are instead trying to gain a political foothold in Southern States) one can safely assume that that battle is won.

Besides, North Karnataka’s problems are institutional. Bangalore and South Karnataka, by virtue of being centres of money and political power, will occupy the minds of any politician who wants to keep that seat in Vidhana Soudha for long enough, even if he is from another “seat”. This would not be so much of a problem if North Karnataka were not backward to begin with. Sometimes regions can do with a bit of benign neglect from political leaders, but backward regions like North Karnataka need neglect like a bullet in the head.

It won’t do to trumpet the achievements of individual leaders, when the region as a whole suffers this institutional and historical problem. The only course is, therefore, to remove this institutional problem by creating a separate State that is not subject to the same kind of pulls and pressures.

There is one more factor that strengthens my belief in the correctness of this course of action for North Karnataka.

In recent times, one group has provided me with a very safe moral compass. Whatever they prescribe, be it with regard to the USA, Islamic fundamentalism, SEZs, the retail sector, trade unions, Saddam Hussein, caste and China, among many other things, I have found that we can safely follow the opposite course with a clear conscience, knowing fully well that it will only be a matter of time before we are proved right.

Naturally, the Communists are completely against division of linguistic states.

90 comments

It will be heart breaking for a kannadiga like me if our vishala karnataka is divided. However, creating a new state could be the only way to develop north karnataka region. Our greedy and land grabbing politicians will ignore that region forever. We just have to visit Jewargi taluk represented by Dharam Singh for a record 11 times to see how much under developed it is.

A north karnataka state with Dharam Singh or Mallikarjuna Kharge as Chief minister. Hmmm … Development – whats that?

Leaving emotions aside, one wonders whether it is a separate state or a separate set of leaders from the regin that is required for development. Though it is clear that the paalegaaras from the bengalooru, mysooru region like HDDG will not act as constraining factors.

Why can’t Belagaavi or Kalburgi be made the state capital to address the issue? In any state, its given that some parts will grow distinctly faster/slower than the rest. If at all Karnataka exists, it should be to foster development in the north karnataka districts. Siphoning off (or demaning) a state with no apparent need seems to be a disease spreading these days.

Good. Very good. Let north Karnataka go its own way….there are several hindi speaking states…why should there be only one state for Kannadigas….DK should be a tulu state…any way Kodavas also want to go….the concept of linguistic states has no meaning in the present day world…it will only strengthen Narayana Gowdas and Praveen Shettys…..Karnataka should pave the way for another round of reorganisation – non-linguistic at that

I think that if the Vidharba and Telangana experiments succeed, North Karnatka (NK) as a separate state will become a reality! With leaders liek Drumsingh, Kharge and others the future doesnt look good for NK!

As suggested by Balaji , there should be another legislature in NK. With the likes of Dirty Devegowda around I don’t see that happening. For instance, if BJP wins more seats in NK, turds like him might want to ‘punish’ NK voters by denying them even the meagre development funds they get now. Or some one like HDK will do a grama vashavyya and ruin the village he stays in while heading out in a helicopter for his next bypass appointment.

NK should demand more government jobs and instituitions reloate to that area so that they stronger in the immediate term. IT types can help by investing in infrastructure and schools. A piece of code written in Bengalooru is the same as the one written in Bagalkot!

The Central government is only opening a pandoras box by going in for the appointment of the second States Reorganisation Commission. When the Centre has not been able to successfully resolve problems arising out of the first SRC. it has been toying with the idea of the second SRC.

Pray why the second SRC. The reasons are not quite altruistic. The improvement in the quality of governance and the delivery system is not what is the issue which has prompted the Congress to think about it. It is purely political. It is losing the ground fast in the Hindi heartland and perhaps thinks that by going in for smaller states, it can politically feather the nest. In Andhra Pradesh also its scope for retaining the power is limited and hence wants to divide the state.

Creating small states does not certainly bring about any qualitiative changes in the government. See what has happenned to all the small states. All of them are going through patch of political uncertainty. Goa is a classic example. Ever since it was created a seperate state in 1989, it has been a politically sick state, with a host of ayarams and gayarams making political hay at the cost of the people.

So is going to the case in Northern Karnataka also, if one goes for a sepeate state. Creating a sepereate state for Northern Karnataka is not an answer to the problmes of regional imbalance it is facing today. The Northern Karnataka has remained backwards not because the rulers in Bangalore are indifferent but that its representatives are totally insipid and inept in making their presence felt.

If you hand over the power to them , do you expect the quality improvement ? Certainly not. This will give rise to another set of demand being raised like the sub regions like Hyderabad Karnataka or Bombay Karnataka nursing their own grievances of neglect. If you take this to th logical conclusion, you cannot resolve the problem, if you convert every district or any parliamentary constituency into seperate districts.

The collective strength, be it political, economic , and of natures bounty can alone bring about the economic emancipation. You have to pool the stregnth to march head and cannot make any progress if you dissipate it.

The idea of the second SRC is nothing but a fool hardy venture, on the part of the Congress, which wants to seek better political pastures through the division of the existing states. The Centre has better business to do than bother about the tinkering with the present state

Let Congress ponder over the crucial issue of why it is losing power than think of dividing states. Congress is losing power because it is organisationally dead. There is nothing like organisation. Everything has remained standstill with Congress ever since Indira Gandhi divided the organisation for her political aggrandisement.

If such a thing is needed again in 50 years – so be it. The state was never meant to be an integral unit, it is a unit of governance. Breaking UP and Bihar into smaller pieces has not made things worse for UP, MP and Bihar and it probably has made things better (and more manageable) for Uttranchal, Jharkand and Chattisgarh.

I thought Alok has made both the ‘root cause’ and the solution clear in the post.

splitting is neither a solution nor an option.
splitting is a rather reductionist prescription.
splitting is a treatment for the symptom not the disease.
(what about chamarajanagara, kolara, tumkur?)
splitting does not fix the disease.

you are employing a very limited historical context. KA history does not begin with the marathas and end with the nizams and the british. Tungabhadra basin from srungeri to hampi has alway been the cradle of KA civilization.

even otherwise the aim should be to consolidate and strengthen KA for the future. Even in our own lifetimes, all the morons will die. New people will merge. New systems of governence will emerge. what are those systems which will take us there? adalva keLbekaada prashne? what are the systematic issues that have allowed this rot to set in. can you elaborate on that. please.

Your heartache is no reason why our brothers and sisters north of Shivamogge should suffer.

Balaji–

It would be a magnificent coup to move the capital to Belagavi. It is not going to happen as long as Maharashtra dreams of annexing that city. Besides, make Belagavi our capital, non-Kannadigas will flock there. With the sizable Marathi population, Kannada will be as much an orphan there as it is in Bengaluru.

TS–

Kelabekaada prashne: Aravaththu varshada nantharavu yaava positive badalaavane kanadiddare, Karnatakadalli ulidu saadhisuva purushaartha enu?
You illustrate how complicated the issue is when you throw in Chamarajanagara–the home district of our incomparable son of Kannadamma, Vatal Nagaraj, Kolar, and Thumakur. Add Chitradurga and Ballari also. There should then be three Kannada speaking states.

Now where do we get the idea that South Karanataka is developed? People in this region too live without basic amenities. Make a trip to any government hospital and you will know what I mean. Bengaluru is stinking with kolageris. Maisuru is not far behind. Old Mysore is not just old, but almost dead.

What we need is a revolution which will send our culturally illiterate, economically miseducated and greedy politicians home forever. We need a new vision for Kannada and Kannadanadu. Radical redistribution of wealth. That might help alleviate the so-called regional imbalance.

aaru saadhaana baLaga.
six industrial enterprise zones centered at:
bangalore, mangalore, davanagere, hubli, hospet, gulbarga.
if these centers find development, then the zones around them, which more or less span the entire state, will find growth.
areas in the periphery of these zones or outside them are environmental and or tourism enterprise zones. kodagu, karwar, chikkamagaluru, mysore, chamarajanagara, chitradurga.

these zones more or less already exist ‘in nature’ and need not be artificially created. These centers already have some amount of economic and cultural pull. All that is now needed, in this nava karnaaTaka of ours, is equity and equal consideration in administration and an equitable distribution of all the resources at the disposal of the state, including the human resources. (as you mentioned)

this gives a general picture for how the solution should look like and a very broad statement about the most important property of that solution.
(there is nothing extraordinary in this. its just the first step.)

now, i donot know the exact details of the procedure to arrive at this solution or the bottlenecks that prevents realization of this solution. breaking the problem is not an option. there are certain systemic issues that are preventing solution. its not people and their behaviour. it is system’s failure that has not anticipated this behaviour and addressed that issue. irrespective of how many chops you make, unless you fix the system the problems will not dissapear. fix the system. dont break the problem.

say you dont know how to add-with-carry and the problem is to find solution 183+768. i think it is better to solve this problem by learning to add-with-carry rather than breaking the problem and adding by counting 951 ones.

how would equity of resources look like?
obvious property is a more or less equitable budgetary allocation.

but we should also consider equitable distribution of human resources. PB Mahishi was recently heard goading his cadre to be ethusiastic about positions beyond bangalore. but unfortunately, he stopped at raising the flag on a dediciency of the system and didnot go on to use his seniority and proximity with powers that were to find a fix to it. ordinary people like us can only think of breaking the system, because we see it as not working. but people like him perhaps can fix the system and make it work. (now, there is a meta question to this, why does the system not force people like him from fixing the system? why are they not accountable for lording over a broken system? & how to make them accountable?)

so again, i dont know how to fix the system, but can dream of some properties a fixed system would have:
zonal administrative cadres of IAS, KAS officers. (perhaps a 5 year rotation tenure, not based on seniority)
zonal health and education cadre and so on.
all cadre same salary and same perks.

over the last few years atleast we have heard some noise along these lines especially wrt to industry. But lack physical infrastructure and of skilled manpower keep cropping up time and time again. (where govt employees dont tread, how do you expect private enterprise to venture?)

respected alok sir plz visit kolar and villages around udupi u will only see the extent of development there. By using your logic even they can press for separate states and both come in so called south karnataka and coastal karnataka. remember naxals are in large numbers around udupi whereas there are no naxals in hyderabad-karnataka region even though it borders naxal infested telengana. can somebody explain me this paradox.In a state some districts may be more developed than others.but that should not be the case for creating separate state. “WILL U AGREE FOR A SEPARATE UP OR A BIHAR JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE LESS DEVELOPED THAN REST OF INDIA?”. north karnataka cities like hubli and belagavi are more developed than south karnataka cities like kolar and chitradurga.

I am from North Karnataka and I strongly oppose the dividing our state. It is not govt’s apathy, but our representative’s apathy that has led to our region being left out.

One KRS has revolutionised the lives of Farmers in Mandya/Mysuru and surrounding. Even though, my district Bijapur has 5 rivers, our bidar has 5 rivers in Manjra, Karanja, chulki Nala, Mullamari and Gandrinala.
why are we not able to assure one crop for our farmers in a year?? Krishna traverses more length than Kaveri in Karnataka , but why our irrigation projects in this region are almost failed? Our region has produced some junk leaders like kharge / dharmsingh and the likes who never faught for any such development projects for our region. Munjaani maTa ramayana keLi, munjale yeddu ramanga sita yen aagbek pa tamma andra tangi andranta,, hanta khabargedi leaders adaar namma region daag. They never faught for any development projects, be it rail links, be it implementation of krishna irrigation projects.. and that’s the precise reason we are left behind.

Take the Narayanapura canal projects, every year, the canal breaks up, the dam gates break, dam itself leaks,, and crops grown by thousands of farmers gets destroyed, who is to blame? The fault lies with greedy Engineers and the minister in charge keeps quite taking a good amount of kickback. ( remember oour dharmu/kharge handled bhaari niravari / PWD/ agreeculture ministries a lot of times in the past). We need the leaders like Virendra patil, who had the empathy to understand our griviences and had the vision to develop our region on par.

Creating a separate state and giving the baton to the likes of Kharge/Dharmu/Yatnal will make it a night mare for our region. ooduda kottu baarsuda tagondang aagateti..

not only this, with 28 Lokasabha MPs and 10 RAjya sabha MPs, Karnataka is getting raw deal from the central govt in all aspects, be it railway recruitments/ new railway lines, recruitment to all central establishments, getting necessary funds for our projects. Now, imagine the fate of a separate north Karnataka state with 7-8 MPs? We’ll relegated to a situation of our north-east States. Owing to the poor representation at the centre, North eastern are terribly left out in all aspects and no wonder, they are fighting for separate nationhood out of sheer frustration. Do you want that to happen to our region too??

I definately don’t agree with idea of forming a separate state. Instead, a mass agitation (like the ones we had during Ekikarana time or Gokak agitation time) to wake our lazy/useless leaders to take up our griviences more seriously at vidhanasoudha is the need of the hour.

Who said underdeveloped regions get development because of becoming separate states? If this logic is correct, why shouldn’t South India become a separate country by ceceding from the Indian Union which mostly consists of states which just sit there and suck the blood of South India? Why shouldn’t the underdeveloped North Eastern states cecede from the Indian Union or be further subdivided into smaller statelets?

The real solution to the problem of underdevelopment is more power for the existing states, increased privatization and a check on corruption. The current constitution of India will not grant more representation to Kannadigas at Delhi (which representation itself we have not utilised to our benefit to date) because of Karnataka being broken into two as per the misguided proposal of the author. The way to achieve a fair representation at Delhi is not what the author suggests in his ignorance, but an amendment to the constitution to the effect that every state, irrespective of size and population, sends a fixed number of functional representatives (as in one for health, one for law and order, etc) to Delhi.

The need for linguistic states and for the unity of people of one language is more today than ever. The “hindi nationalism” which the author talks about is rampant even to this date. Even to this date, our languages suffer a second-grade existence in our own lands due to Hindi high-handedness. Besides, it is only through the sustained development of India’s languages in all fields of learning that India can compete globally in a sustainable way. This focus on language is impossible to achieve without the unity of Kannadigas, without one state for Kannadigas.

Also, it is also too naive to think development and language are two unconnected entities. We’re not talking about the development of mostly uninhabited real-estate which is what the USA was before it got colonized. Such colonies can be divided into rectangular pieces for administrative purposes and English thrust upon. In contrast, we’re talking about the development of a linguistic people who have lived here from the beginning of time, as it were. Kannada needs to occupy the center-stage in all walks of life of Kannadigas. And it is but nonsense to have this happen in the two proposed divided pieces of Karnataka.

In an age and time where hitherto divided linguistic peoples are uniting after breaking down Berlin walls, the call for a division of India’s linguistic states can only be attributed to intellectual poverty which fails to recognize the actual hindrances to growth.

Makes no sense from top to the bottom where-in you’ve stated that the division of states apparently was a politically motivated act by the Congress at the center; but you also seem to hopeful about North-Karnataka flourishing as a state! As always, meaningless and hypocritical.

I quote you – “Of course, I write this with full anticipation of abuse from the language chauvinists (who, I presume, will take a quick break…”

Oh come on! This time it doesnt even have to be language to say that your thoughts need to go down the drain. Poor-governance is universal, and it is absolutely childish to think splitting the geography and feeding the parts to who you think may be “better” leaders will solve (your understanding of) the problem. The thought is actually a problem in this context.

In fact people like you will go on, and make each dist. in this country a state.. oh! wait, why make a state at all, make a country full of districts – no states – and each dist. have its own CM or whatever.. why not change the way of our governance?! Eh!

Beware! Splitting states (because of this reason) and giving them to morons will be an invitation to trouble in future – when those morons fail again, and then a few good men want to re-unite the lands and re-build the state.

My vision about the SRC is to merge smaller states and make them bigger ones. These are my arguments about bigger states

1. Less cost on infrastructure.
Every smaller state requires a new Chief Minister, Governor, and associated government setup which is waste of money. if a Chief Minister is able to rule a state effectively(well, this effectiveness is arguable) there is no need for smaller states in the name of “better administration”. More districts and better decentralization would just be fine.

2. Less inter state conflicts
Remember Cauvery dispute and Krishna water dispute. There will be more states fighting in case of smaller states, and state money will be wasted on controlling these unnecessary things.

In the age of better communication we do not need smaller states. May be the state administration can be split across different areas of state to improve other areas better.
For example, there is no need for High court to be present in state capital. De-congest the capitals, and move High court to a central place of state, which is accessible to every one. Let less travel be possible with Video conferencing and better communication facilities.

Don’t forget,, Germans when got united, flourished and not when they were separate. Although, their success might has a diff reason that they administered their country efficiently to be where they are right now. A simple lesson, we need a hand ful of visionary leaders to get our karnataka rolling. A political change can only solve our griviences. Our present political clan is at best be described as pathetic. We need a regional party which thinks all kannadigas as equal and karnataka as one and not as north karnataka, hyd karnataka etc..

A strong identity as Kannadiga irrespective of region is very important. Once we forget our castes, regions and think about Kannadigas and elect true representatives who have the highest regard for Kannada Kannadiga and Karnataka, we can definately see a day of hope for all kannadigas.

KRV’s fight against the injustices should not be taken lightly and instead should be supported. We trust those idiots who are/were ruining our states again and again, but we failed to recognize someone who is fighting endlessly for a long time now. Let’s support KRV and it’s genuine fight against injustice to kannadigas.

Belgaav as capital?
How can that be pending SC’s judgement on ‘Annexation’ of marathi-majority belgaav to karnatak?

And one of the primary reasons for underdevelopment of the region bordering Southern Maharashtra (which comes under under developed Norht K’ntak) has been the grudge those sitting in Bangalore have against the people of that region…that too because they wish to be a part of Maharashtra….And which is a rightful claim!!!

Dividing the state will not solve the problems of the people, if this happens tommorow, Coorg, Dakshina Kannada & udupi, Hubli region, North Kanara will also will request for seprate state hood.

Politicians need to develop their state / country rather than split states into picses for their selfish desires. What people are not realising is that wherever states have split, it has not helped the people of that region at all.

Or in that case even when Districts were split, it has never helped the cause. The need of the hour is to think as an indian, rather than splitting the states.

concept of karnataka has lot of emotion involved in it,it is a way of life.
greats like AALOORU VENKATA RAAYARU, AANAKRU HAVE FOUGHT FOR A UNIFIED KANNADA STATE. some third rate congressmen as a desperate measure are talking of state reorganization.
india can do without this at this juncture. if congress goes ahead with it, india will surely go USSR way.

Historical reasons are different. Just see how much money is spent after reprganisation for developing the North Karnataka against old Mysore State. Not against spending but at what rate…excepting Bangalore city what is the development in these parts, how much has been spent on new irrigation projects, how many new irrigation projects have bee taken up, if one analyses objectively then the truth will come out. At the same time Veerendra Patil, Dhrmasingh represented that region and they were very much the Chief Ministers. And not to forget S R Bommai. Once they reached Bangalore they conveninetly forgot their regions.

States in India are not just geometric shapes whose size is to be determined based on pure administrative requirements. On the other hand states were formed to represent cultural agglomerations that could retain and promote their own unique cultures while sharing the same nationailty.

What puts the intention behind such possible legislations is the timing. Having failed to provide sufficient autonomy to each state in the true spirit of federalism and the inability even after 60 years of Independence to establish an objective framework of give and take between the states, the Congress Government which has been at the helm of affairs for most part of the post independence era is slowly losing its clout in most parts of the country for the following reasons-

Growth of strong regional parties in various states-the Dravidan parties in TN, Modi’s BJP in Gujarat ( as good as a regional party as BJP has little sway over him) against the pseudo policies of the Congress . In places like Maharashtra ( Shiv Sena), AP ( TDP) the Congress still sees a potential of gaining lost ground through smaller state formation. For states like Karnataka, where the unifying and galvanising power of regionalism is still in the process of gaining momentum, the Congress could use this small state ploy against Karnataka in the British legacy policy of Divide and Rule.

While one can argue on the ease of administration and stuff like that-the better solution is to grant more autonomy to the states and have more objective means of GIVE and TAKE ( centre-state, inter state). Cross subsidising inefficient states at the expense of more hard working efficient states is not the way forward in a competitive world.

Imagine- Implementation of Nanjundappa commission Report for alleviating regional imbalance within Karnataka is much more feasible where Karnataka has enough autonomy to use its resources not just for filling the Central exchequer, but to Fight floods in North Karnataka ( instead of depending on the “largesse” of the centre for returning a fraction of what we have contributed) or for initiating grass root level improvements in synce with our strengths and weknesses.

For the first time in 60 years , one can see people uniting in Karnataka not on such petty caste based politics of Mysore region Vokkaligas or North Karnataka based Lingayats but as Kannadigas. Mysore region has gone from good to bad and North Karnataka from bad to worse not because of a larger geographical area to administer but our inability to assert ourselves, stand united and the absence of a vision of a great future for this great land.

As Kannadigas begin to stand united it is not very far when we will establish Karnataka as a Model state that Sir M Visveshwaraiah had started to carve.

I think people take a decision first and then try to prove their point!

If people from that region demand for a separate state, it would be difficult to oppose them..But the truth is there is no actual demand..People form that region are instrumental in Karnataka unification!!iIt’s just 50 years and I am sure there is still lot of emotions attached!

i agree on autonomy and greater devolution of power, but even as we fight for these, irrespective of central policies, there are some systemic issues internal to KA too. whatever resources we have even those we are not able to translate to something meaningful.

Basic question remains: is smaller state a real solution to under development? Answer is not definite.

Is underdevelopment because of a large state? Or because of our politics, bureaucratic ways of running things?

Sardar Patel, whom we owe integrating 500 plus states into present day India, was opposed to states based on language. He wanted 4 Indian states: East, West, North, South. Its generally agreed that, Bihar was an example of best administered state till late 1960s. But its the politics of Lalu Prasad that made it “Bihar”. By dividing states, we are creating possibility to have TWO LALU PRASADS.

I think the whole issue of state reorganization is being drummed up by Congress to distract people from real issues: serious condition of farmers, poverty, stagnation of job creation, terrorism, before forth coming election.

Its an emotive issue, and somehow Congress is trying to clutch on that to save its rout. However, its proven that BJP ultimately gains in the smaller states. The organization which spearheaded Uttarakhand movement for decades became history. I am not very aware of Karnataka’s regional politics, but I think the Indian Express had an article explaining how BJP became strong in northern Karnataka. Its going to do well in Telengana as well.

Western UP will never become a seperate state, as Muslims will become 40-45% population. No party will allow that to happen so close to Delhi.

Couldn’t help noting that the very thesis that dividing Karnataka is better for Kannadigas is dangerously similar to the “divide and rule” policy of the British.

Sure, it becomes easier to subdue Kannadigas if they are a divided People. Sure, it becomes easier to quell the cries of crores of Kannadigas if they are a divided People. Sure, it becomes easier to get North Karnataka to fight with South Karnataka if they are a divided People. Sure, it becomes easier to impose Hindi on Kannadigas if they are a divided People. Sure, it becomes easier to cheat Kannadigas of their rightful share in resource allocation at the center if they are a divided People. Sure, Kannadigas become weaker if they are a divided People.

There doesn’t seem to be any reason for anybody against the wellbeing of Kannadigas to not go ahead and divide Karnataka. They become easy to “rule”. “Rule” as in “rule by way of oppression”.

I don’t agree that a separate North Karnataka will help in “progress”. The biggest factor in socio-economic change is the quality of the population and in particular their effect on local governance.

By all means make your ward and city councillors visibly accountable to the common man – ensure your tax rupees aren’t wasted or looted. Make sure Govt. creates no hurdles for business. Uphold civil rights and free markets.

None of these is best achieved by creating one more “state”, which is just an ugly layer of bureaucracy.

Start by taking back the town or city you live in. Then the state will take care of itself.

I am not sure if dividing the state will be effective. As many pointed out administrative failures and lack of focus on the part of representatives seems to be the issue. For that matter not just N. Karnataka but other regions not in the B’lore Mandya Mysore belt, also have not always been in the radar of the rulers.

Compared to other regions which became separate states, in my opinion the affinity of Uttara karnataka towards a united Kannada Nadu has been greater. Probably more devolution of powers and forming of administrative zones for all regions which are accorded equal importance could be the way to go.

“India Today” brings out the “State of the States” survey every two years. It would be worthwhile to see the progress of the recently split states like Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttaranchal vis-a-vis their former merged states.

From what I have read “India Today” editorials definitely endorse smaller states. (Of course, Churumuri being a chamcha of rival “Outlook”, it may not allow you to publish those links :-) ).

You have a great idea, so dish out a data based analysis. That will kill the emotion based retorts.

many states in india have all the resources to become independent republics, so it would be a better idea that india becomes a forum of independent countries . this is the line of thought which will gain momentum if the idea of splitting states is implemented against people’s will.

The quality of life of Kannadigas who are having to contend with underdevelopment in Karnataka – whether north or south – can improve only at the dawn of appreciation for the pressing need for the unity of Kannadigas in every walk of life including politics. Any thought process which divides them makes them that much weaker.

It is they whose ploy it is to make us weaker (and they who are having to publish-or-perish articles about Katnataka albeit without even a basic understanding of Her) that induce in us thoughts such as what you have alleged exists in the minds of “a lot of people in North Karnataka”.

Further, it’s absolute naivete to think Kannada will be fine (and reach its crowning glory?) with a Karnataka divided. Please ponder over the fact that before the installation of the Karnataka state of today by the great sacrifices and struggle of people like Alura Venkata Rao and others, Kannadigas in the various pieces of Karnataka had such a high inferiority complex that they trembled at the thought of their tongues uttering words in their own mother tongue.

However I am not able to convince myself that Karnataka as a state within a country which allows for full freedom of movement, is so important for kannada or the overall good of everyone. For example, what of the kodavas, the tuluvas and konkani speaking people? Where do they figure if we try to attach an administrative unit like Karnataka with the larger cause of kannada and the progress of kannadigas?

Breaking down a behemoth like UP into more manageable units (where local leaders have more sense of responsiblity and a feeling that they can make a difference to their community), cannot be a bad thing. Also this will prevent regional satraps like Mayawati et. al. from gaining power disproportionate with their actually capabilities.

But when it comes to Karnataka – I dont know – and both sides of the argument seem to ring true. Development, a sense of responsibility and ability to make a difference in ones own small land on the one side. Unity by language and the ability to fight off others for one’s right on the other. What is the way the go?

Anonymous guy – in that case, you’re stuck in ambivalence in this regard, right?

The part that is misleading you is that you think whats happening to UP is good just because you think Mayawati and her likes are incapable of ruling a land of UP’s size and volume! So you think the solution is break the land into smaller pieces and feed them to N Mayawatis, dont you?! I dont think you’ll agree to that “solution” anymore!

Similarly if there has been mis-management in Karnataka too, it is because there is no united governance ever in this state which has stood in favour of a Kannadiga – wherever in Karnataka that he is. And now, lets do the drill again here – is it going to be good to bring more of those morons (who have been ruling KA until now) to rule the new-formed sub-states? Do you think the disappointed Kannadigas in whichever corner of KA can now rest assured about their “dreams?”

Let there by no confusion. The underlying philosophy is unity in diversity. All indigenous languages of Karnataka have equal rights. Languages which are forcing their way into Karnataka by hook or crook are the ones which have no defendable place here.

Speakers of the indigenous languages of Karnataka have lived in harmony here from times immemorial. There are many similarities between the languages and cultures. We share a common language and culture family. We share a common history.

Development, a sense of responsibility and ability to make a difference in ones own small land on the one side. Unity by language and the ability to fight off others for one’s right on the other. What is the way the go?

We need to begin to see not only that there is no dichotomy, no contradiction between the two paths that you envisage, but also that only when the two go hand in hand can a future be created which each standing on its own cannot.

I have heard a lot of foolish talk of Kannada being on the verge of extinction. Learned people like Chandrasekhara Kambara and Patil Puttappa have been propagating the alarmist nonsense.

Kannada will remain because we insist on speaking it in our humble little towns and villages. Whether Karnataka will remain Karnataka is highly doubtful.

Ramesh Gowdare–

People speaking indigenous languages in Karnataka have not always lived in harmony. Look at what the Kodavas are demanding. Kamakshi Palya used to be a predominantly Tamil community; not so anymore. Those who do not want to speak Kannada find homes in areas like Hennur and Koththanahalli so they don’t have to deal with Kannada at all. Eastern Bangalore is an area where people non-Kannadigas have created a refugee enclave. All roads leading to Chennai are flanked by non-Kannada speaking communities. Look at the divide and rule policy of Karnataka Government creating an academy for every language in the state. How about the opposition to teach Kannadigas in Kannada at every level?

The situation is going to be uncontemplatable when our Bangaluru becomes a Union Territory. But many of us will not mind because that change would bring us civil amenities. Just as we have ceded Kannada areas even in Jayanagar to the rich investors from the North, we will keep losing the city extension by extension.

All battles are first lost in the mind and then in reality. We will never lose Bengalooru, nor will it ever become a Union territory. Unfortunately such ideas are mooted by senseless Kannadiga IT Czars and the like.

To what extent have we tried to change the attitude of fellow complacent kannadigas. To what extent have we tried to change the attitude of immigrants to BengaLooru. Each interaction with a Kannadiga should be one that ignites the pride of being a Kannadiga from within. Every interaction with a non Kannadiga should be one of friendly assertiveness so that the message goes out Loud and clear that Kannadigas are friendly people and at the same time not the ones to be taken for a ride.

Keep doing your bit and atleast you will not have a regret that you didn’t do your part. This will also keep any such defeatist thoughts at bay and give you the positive energy to propel forward.

A State for N.Karnataka could mean a bigger disaster with some ‘fantastic’ leaders ( some of who were CMs also).

To suggest that coastal Karnataka has developed because of government assistance after independence is foolishness . Its only because of the superior educational standards ( & tat means higher education also —- we need good engg colleges here ) as well as historical reasons ( with British rule among one of them ).

The way forward for Uttara Karnataka is education ( the situation in some parts is worse than sub-Saharan Africa) . All other evils are an indirect fallout of this. To some extent irrigation facilities could also help in rapid devt of N. Karnataka.

Also , it’s hgh time that governments think beyond Bangalore . The media could do a lot in bringing this region to the mainstream. Lastly , it would help if people from N. Karnataka prefer blore over Hyd n Mumbai . ( I agree the distance is too much…….. ) A big reason for the dwindling Kannadiga population in Bengaluru is the conspicuous absence of people from North Karnatka in the tech capital

My concerns are the same as yours although I do not possess the confidence that it is in our power to keep Bengaluru in our own hands. What happened to the promise made by the Feds to Punjab and Haryana about Chandigarh? The IT-BT have the money and the influence to buy off both Bengaluru and New Delhi.

The sad state of Kannada and Kannadigas has to do with our lackadaisical attitude to the phony concept of nationalism without regionalism. The Tamils woke up when they saw that nationalism to most people meant North Indianism, as did the Andhras. I have not heard Malayalis howling out jeremiads about Malayalam. We are the only people south of the Vindhyas unable to grasp our own regional and linguistic identity.

Our first enemy was lack of education, the kind of education that brings us an awareness of ourselves and others. We lost the first battle as a state in the union in the mind as well as reality. How long did it take for us rename our state? Even then for fear of being labelled parochial, we became Karnataka and not Kannada Naadu. We have now been extending the hospitality of saying our concern is with Karnataka and not just Kannada. Hence the little language enclaves all over the state, Belagavi being the most striking example. The sad state of affairs is made more unpalatable by some of our writers who claim that the state is a mini-Bharatha and that we have realized the ideal of nationalism unlike our neighboring states, each one of which has an issue with us about land and water and has been able to get its own way.

The second enemy was almost every state government that went along with every demonic demand imposed on it by New Delhi. Our being able to be reunited in a vishaala Karnataka only helped make self-serving politicians make jaathi the biggest factor in our polity. No Lingaayat or Vokkaliga government had the moral courage to draw limits to the Federal Government’s de-Kannadization campaign. We sang the praises of all those Hindustan, Bharath enterprises in Bangalore without ensuring our own survival, leading to the linguistic fragmentation that Bengaluru is today. For our treachery to ourselves, take the example of the three railway ministers, C. M. Poonacha, H. K. Dasappa, Jaffar Sheriff, not one of whom had in mind the well-being of Karnataka, unlike Lallu for whom Bihar is more important than India when it comes linking village to village and town to town in his state. Railway projects languish for decades in Karnataka. Non-Congress governments did not do much better either.

The third enemy is the political and cultural illiteracy of our elected representatives, not one of whom has the sagacity and decency to think about the well being of the people he or she represents regardless of those people’s political preferences. This is true at the national as well as at the state. level. Hassan and Ramanagara are exceptions only because of the Gowda family’s chicanery.

“Doing our bit” means undoing the cruelty of our history and taking stock of the present. How much time do the hungry farmers in Sindhanuru or the coolies in Khalasi Palya whose home is the footpath have to worry about “doing our bit?” Enter the KRV with its many faces promoting violence rather than intelligent, realistic solutions. Should that organisation become omnipresent in Karnataka and magnify its current tactics, New Delhi will have no compunctoin about rendering our people even more helpless. We are already a colonised state.

There are no short-term solutions to our problems although th they are the need of the moment before our land shrinks and rivers dry up. That is the tragedy. However, if we expect to see changes that will transform us as a people who count, not just play, education is our means of “igniting Kannada pride.” Part of that process is also making our brothers and sisters insist that the current crop of corrupt politicians be held accountable.

Where do we start? Civil servants have resigned or gone to court over their personal peeves, as have our political bloodsuckers. If just one per cent of them had done so for the sake of Kannada and Kannadigas, we would have seen at least a ray of hope.

At the cosmic level, ultimately, there is no reason why any language or people should survive as they are, but I want Kannada and Karnataka thrive as well other languages and states in India do. Govinda Pai, H. M. Nayak, and a number of others cherished this dream. When will that dream become the reality?

Chandrappa is right. Feudalism and the cult of personal loyalty explain our inability to be heard in New Delhi or anywhere else. By allowing Karnataka to be divided, we will only bring greater tragedy to North Karnataka.

While language serves as a unifying factor, jaathi serves to keep us polarised.

Incidentally, Kannadigas were among the first in the nation to advance the theory of one language-one state. They managed to get this theory recognized at 1929 all India conference of the Congress.

There might, after all, be some truth to the claim that independence came to India before Indians were prepared for self-rule. As the last principality to join the Indian union, Mysore State was interested in little more than consolidating its revenue sources. Vishaala Karnataka did not come into being because it was the vision of our great thinkers, but unification of Kannada speaking areas was the only way of countering the influence of one single caste in the state.

We were the first to dream of linguistic reorganization of India. I wish we could be the first to be rid of jaathi-based governance. However, ironically, it depends on the power of Kurubas, the third major jaathi group, the majority of whom speak Kannada to bring a semblance of justice and prosperity to all parts of the state by neurtralizing or at least diminishing the high handedness of Vokkaligas and Lingaayaths, but the Siddharaamayyas and the Ishwarappas are as self-absorbed as any and have the power to make make things only worse.

Let’s rewrite the Constitution of India. Let there be a separate constitution for each state embodying the principle of the national constitution. Lets work on slaying the dragons of ignorance and overpopulation.

The question is: What needs to be done and how it can be done without violence or further destruction of our people’s interests.

Your words acurrately describe the situation….multiplied by 10000, of Maharashtra. We are in a position far, far, far, far worse than yours. Our language, our culture, our very identity and distinctiveness-is all disappearing from our own state because our own people have come to see Marathi as a language of unsophisticated rough hewn gawthis, and that only those people who have no choice speak Marathi. Those people who are sophisticated enough speak Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and only those who are not sophisticated enough speak Marathi. Marathi is seen as a symbol of one;s own lack of sophistication and intelligence. BY speaking Marathi somehow, one becomes one with the maid-servants, drivers and sweepers. In our state, unfortunately, to speak Marathi is literally to speak the yokel’s language.
TO show that one no longer belongs to that class of people, one has to speak some other language. Literally, not speaking Marathi is a sign that one has moved up in life. This is the combined effect of 40+ years of relentless caricaturing of Marathi speakers and making Marathi synonymous with backwardness and lack of sophistication., the caricaturing has been done by both the Bollywood film industry, the Hindi TV serials, the English press (mainly Times of India, a paper so anti-Marathi it is positively breath-taking). The combined effect of watching Hindi films which constantly trash your culture and make fun of your language, make it out to be a kind of gibberish, papers which ridicule your community and make fun of it, television channels which do the same thing and are often blatantly anti-Maharashtrian (English/Hindi) and a constant and consistent attempt to ridicule, humilate and put down Maharashtrians and Marathi culture and denigrate Marathi by a beautiful strategy: making sure that the only people seen in films who speak Marathi are low class people like constables/maid-servants. Over time, this has its effect. Then the English papers keep writing condescendingly and patronizingly about everything Marathi and Maharashtrian, constantly making fun of them.

Please, please, please: even as a non-Kannadiga I say, this: INSIST On Kannada in Karnataka. Whatever it takes.

To put it briefly: Kannada must not survive. It must prevail. I am sure you will be able to achieve it.

I hadn’t the slightest idea that at least some Maharashtrians feel the way about Marathi as Kannadigas do about Kannada. I had always believed that Marathi was safe everywhere, from Goa to Bombay. In one of my posts I even said that Kannadigas have a lot to learn from Marathis and Tamils about how to keep their identity safe.

P. S.: Although I know little Marathi, I am a great fan of Marathi abhangs and naatyageethe.

I can predict that Shrimathi Rajyalakshmi will be the first governor of the new state of North Karnataka. Let the revels begin. One of our folk dances being named “doLLu kunitha” is entirely appropriate.

Every city, town and badavane can also be split into developed and under-developed. Language is a binding factor and a reasonable basis for division to facilitate administration. If some regions are suffering or are under-developed, it is better to form a special interest group or a taskforce each and address these needs to bring all parts of Karnataka to the same level against different –clearly spelt out –parameters of development. Not by dancing to the whims and fancies of every population that speak variations of the tongue. Empower yourselves to play a bigger role to dictate change in your regions, don’t think drawing the boundary closer would help you grow bigger. That’s a mere illusion.

I support the formation of smaller states, but not based on so called petty, local identities. i thought creating separate state for tribals in Jharkhand etc was a stupid idea. I think south canara with capital as Mangalore will do good for the konkan region, it makes economic sense. In modern day it is imp to generate some development around cities. I think lingusitic division of india was the worst thing to happen, which destroyed the sense of nationalism in india, and parochial views around language, culture etc developed. The predominant culture of India is the Hindu culture and civilization, when I say Hindu, I am not refering to the religion but the great civilization, the way of life that survived more than 3000 years. There is similarity even upto afghanistan in terms of south asian values. Christianity and islam started thinking differently because these are large bureaucratic, international religions and created an agenda. In a couple of centuries the classical idea of religion may be dead. Civilization, and ethics of a society will survive, india shouldnt ape west in terms of society but create its own reference points. I dont care much if it is called DK or SOuth canara, an english name has better branding and is easier for others to refer to. I am against these so called localised identities, there is no end to it. But breaking karnataka into 3 parts, North canara- Dharwad as capital, Mysore state with Bangalore as capital and South canara with Mangalore as capital will be a good idea; breaking linguistic states will help in eliminating linguistic chauvinism all across india. They should break maharshtra into a state around Vidarbha-Nagpur, UP into 2 or 3 parts, also Saurashtra. AP is aout to be broken, it will be great if Hyderabad becomes union territory, in fact all national, metropolitan, melting pot cities like Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore must be made Union territories, because they belong to all indians. Even small kerala should be broken into south and north kerala, but now kerala has a dangerous element, north kerala is militant muslim, south kerala is expansionist christians, with hindus scattered all over, who once had a rich, peaceful, beautiful culture. It would help India to develop if there are more centers of growth around more cities, meaning more states. India is free for all indians to live anywhere they wish, making states purely on the basis of economic potential is the best thing to do. City states will be the best thing, like Singapore, create 30 city states. india’s rotten babus cant think that far, so let us start with making 50 states first.

River Krishna and its tributaries form the biggest river system in North Karnataka. May be we can call the new state KRISHNAKHANDA or KRISHNAKARNADU- the land of River Krisha or the black soil region of the Kannada land. Of course it will have to give a predominant place for Kannada language. A region with 8-10 districts is good for a new state. Leaders will come up to make the best of the available resourses in due couse of time. Haven’t Punjab and Haryana developed as smaller states. Spells of misrule in smaller states will naturally be lesser than spells of misrule in states like erst while Bihar and UP. The eight districts of Bellary, Dharwad, Uttar Kannada, Belgaavi, Bijapur, Raichur, Gulbarga and Bidar togther can form a big enough region, not only to sustain, but also flourish as a seperate state rather than live like an appendage to the sothern parts of Karnataka facing their redicule. … Jai Krishnakhanda. Jai Jai KRISHNAKARNADU

Hi People
I see a great discussion going on. Well I went across an excellent article giving logic both for and against smaller states. Am I am convinced for smaller states in India but not as small as Goa or NE states. The complete logic is explained in this article. Interested people should have a read. Always good to have a broader perspective

If you read about unification of Karnataka, NK and DK people were very eager to merge with Mysore, where as Mysore people showed reluctance.

Many felt disappointed when Mysore state were renamed as Karnataka.

South Karnataka has Chamarajanagara, Kolara, Mandya, Tumakuru etc which are educationally and institutionally backward. All the banks belong to DK people. And majority of MLA’s are from NK. We can develop these areas with all the money we make from Bengalooru.

A separate North karanatka is need of the hour but where is momemtum happening like Telangana?? Again our leaders from north karnataka are convinced with the offers they get from south karnatka and hence it remains only on paper.

1. Poor education (no reputed institutions/colleges)
2. Racial discrimination in terms of sex, religious.
3. Water problem that leads to poor economy growth
4. Uneducated political leaders
5. Population explosion. i.e no family planning
6. Poor climatic conditions ( Raichur gets upto 50 degree celsius of temp)
7. Lack of proper social awareness among the people
8. Sanitation is not at all maintained well

All these factors plays important role to reduce the economy and revenue. If we talk about sanitation in terms of two regions i.e south and north, south is well for maintaining tidiness than north. south people give equal importance for male and female. But north gives more importance to male than female. It is not fair blaming the govt. Even the state is divided into two parts, the north still lacks behind due above following reasons.

I could see many interesting reponse and posts. I dont agree creating a small state will help much. If that is case there are many small states north east states. why they are not developed..?
North karnataka(NK) is underdeveloped becuase north karnataka politicians:
1. why cannt NK politicians demand deputy or chief minister from North karnataka, so that they dont have to depend on the funds allocations.
2. why cannt NK politicians ask govt setup IISc or NEC kind of instittues in North karnataka,
3. why cannt NK politicians united ask chief minister allocate more funds to Norh karnataka.
4. why cannt NK politicians demand to post good officers to North karntaka..? Usually North karnataka is waste dumping ground. all corrupt officers are posted as punishement here.
5. There are many rivers are flowing in north karnataka,, Do we know how many dams are constructed on kaveri river and how many are costructed on Krishna and Tungabhabra.why cannt NK politicians ask more Dams..in north karnataka..?
6. Majority of the times karnataka is ruled by the south karnataka people. So they have developed south better than north, becuse north karnataka politician never asked fro fund to develop north karnatak.
7. We talk about the one karnataka, kannada etc. But do we have good roads to connect to north karnataka to south karnataka, This helps north and south cultural fusion and bonding.in contrast, we have much btter board to Madras and Hyderbad to bangalore than bidar or gulburga, rachichur, Koppal, yadgir. So why cannt our MPs from North karnatak demand more highway projects in north karnataka..!. Instead 100 kms bidar gulburga railway project taking 50 years..!
8.Last but not least ego of all the lingayath Leader..or Patils. They dont tolerate each other progress. Each lingayath MLA thinks a if he is chief minister of district dont coperate and work united for development of north karnatak, So no wonder politicians like devagouda and SM krisha and yeddiypuppa will use it for thier use..!
9. Do you know Mallikarjun Kharge consistency is one of most backwards in the world.. even he won 10 times from same place. But Dharma singh improved litte bit on Jevargi.

Considering all the points above, it is political will is required to develop and not by creating the small states.

A state by the name KRISHNAKARNADU consisting of that part of karnataka which were parts of bombay presidency and hyderabad state, is a viable solution for the upliftment of the people of North Karnataka whose condition is very backward as compared to the south.

Two things here.
Firstly small states makes it easier to administer. And a NK state will ensure greater focus and people of NK can get better development.

Secondly, there is no strong statehood sentiment in NK. Telengana is an emotional issue, but no such sentiments prevail in NK. They may be upset about lack of focus, but there is no demand for a separate state. Only crooked politicians like Katti and his boss Yeddy want to rake up this for petty political gains.

It is better than more autonomy is given and ministers are forced to sit in the districts and ensure development instead of sitting in Bangalore and looting.

Splitting southern linguistic states into smaller states, there by destroying southern languages is the most prominent aspect of RSS -COWBELT-HINDIWALLAH agenda. Hindiwallahs feel that south Indian states are the main hurdles for total hindification of India.
It will be disastrous for India if central govt tries to split karnataka or tamilnadu, because people of these two states treat Kannada and Tamil with a feeling of divinity.

It is better to split all larger states into smaller ones to ensure better administration. Karnataka, Maharashtra ( Vidharba ), UP etc should be split into smaller states so that the feeling of alienation is not there.

Also, in parallel there should be greater devolution of powers from the center to the states. We should aim for an United States of India. The center should be responsible only for Foreign policy and defence.

I concur with your accurate analysis of Northern chauvinism. However, having the power to do something for Kannada and not doing it is treachery. Most of our politicians, including the members of the Gowda clan, are guilty of that kind of treachery.

If ease of administration is the factor for creation of smaller states then,lets follow example of Sudan
Recently Sudan was bifurcated into 2 countries Sudan and southern Sudan, India — north and south India.
Will India allow it? NO, because its just not administration but emotion of patriotism.

You are, as usual, confusing the issues. States are mere administrative units. They were divided linguistically to ease administration. And as you are probably aware, 3 northern states were split in the not so distant past without any danger to the unity of India.

Goldstar,
BIMARU states and southern states are totally different. South Indian states have a rich linguistic heritage which forms the foundation of their existence.
Biharis speak a language called maithili, yet they have accepted Hindi as their principle language, same is the case with UP, madhyapradesh. No resistance was seen when chattisgarh and jharkand were carved out.
Creation of smaller states is a ploy to break the unity of linguistic groups, there by clearing way for imposition of Hindi.
More states, more red tape, more corruption, more ruckus—– recipe for disaster.

I see that the author of this post has made the suggestion just based on emitions, in the same way he says that he might get bashings from linguistic chauvnists. I suggest the author of this post to please read Dr. D. M Nanjundappa’s report on Regional Imbalance in Karnataka. Here is a summary post http://enguru.blogspot.in/2012/10/nanjudappa-varadi-ondu-nota.html

Although, small states are better for governance, there is a danger of some strong communities becoming more stronger in the region and may commit atrocities on weaker, smaller communities. So, care should be taken while dividing state. I am not for dividing K’taka. But these devegowda & company are hell bent on stopping development in n.Ktaka . So, in every budget 50% of budget amt should be kept aside for N.Ktaka. Many from old mysore region argue there are backward regions there also. I agree, but they are small pockets here and there. Atleast they are nearer to Big developed cities like Bangalore,Mysore, Hassan.
What is there in North Ktaka. Entire N.ktaka is dependant on neighbouring states- like GOA, Pune, Hyd etc.

After going through so many opinions I feel that there are not many takers for a separate North Karnataka state. The reason:This is a new idea crept into our minds after the success of Telengana.
It has taken Telengana almost 58 years to achieve it. How can North Kannadigas achieve their goal so early? Remember in 1956 when Akhanda_Karnataka was formed, it was north Karnataka people who were leading the movement and they who wanted to join Mysore State.Then, the whole objective was to bring all Kannada speaking together. Nobody thought of industrial development, pregress or employment opportunities.Everybody wanted linguistic identity and recognition This was in accordance with SRC. The whole theory was one language_one state.
Till recently we were buried in this concept. After the creation of Jharkahnd, Uttaranchal(Uttarkhand), Chattisgarh, and the likely bifurcation of UP into four states, formation of Telangana, likely formation of Vidarbha this concept has to be scrapped.

The new ideology is One Language_many states.
Before going further let us make one thing clear. We as a country are politically stable (no separatist movements except perhaps Kashmir). Linguistic states have performed exceptionally well in giving each major linguistic group a political adentity and belongingness to the country. (I would like to mention that it was none other than Mahatma Gandhi who first thought of creating linguistic state as early as 1920.) I hope nobody starts taking about formaing new nations.

The present day problem is not of political identity, but of economic growth and prosperity. If we take state as a unit and analyse we find that many states are too big, simply because there are too many people speaking that language covering vast area. Such states should be divided for better governance.

Karnataka can be be divided into north Karnatak and south karnataka. The north karnataka state should include Bidar, Gulburga, Raichur, Bellari, Vijapur, Belgaum and Dharwad(as per old map). These seven districts of north karnataka are industrially backward, located far away from fully develpoed cities of Bangalore and mysore. The people are ethnically different compared to the south Karnataka people, though they speak Kannada, their accent is different. Culturally they are different.

Krisnakarnadu, Karunadu, Basavanadu are three names that are making rounds. Which ever name it may take, north karnataka should staunchly defend Kannada. Telangana should staunchly defend Telugu. other wise south will just be like north east. They seven sisters with no voice. We too will be six sisters, add Pondicherry and we will also be another seven sisters with no voice.